WHISKY may be the traditional tipple of choice for Burns Night but the Bard was known to enjoy a gin just as much as a fine scotch.
Regional gin sales increased by 167 per cent in Waitrose last year and the The Botanist Gin aims to capitalise on this on January 25. The gin was created by Jim McEwan in his distillery Bruichladdich. The spirit is made with 22 plants that are foraged on the island by two local botanists.
“It’s the essence of Islay,” said Adam Hannett, who took over Bruichladdich after McEwan retired, “you walk over the hills, and you’ll see the plants we use.”
Even the water that brings the gin down to bottling strength comes from a local spring. “Jim wanted to get Islay into a spirit, and that’s what we’ve got,’ said Hannett. “[Islay] is very small and friendly, and you can’t do anything quickly because you’re always stopping to chat to someone. So people here take their time over things. That’s how we’ve always made whisky, and it turns out, it’s a good way to make gin too.”
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